Story:
When Socrates reached his 50s, he went into marriage and took a wife, Xanthippe. She was known to be very hot tempered and nag. He was no ideal husband. He would leave home every morning without fail and return home sometimes quite late. At the end of every month, there was not any pay check. He was busy discussing ideas and thoughts with his friends. One day, Xanthippe was so fed up and scolded Socrates and his friends. But he continued discussing with his friends until the middle of the night. Xanthippe finally could not take it. She took a pail of water and poured it unto them. Instead of being embarrassed in front of his friends, Socrates declared to them: “By all means, marry. If you get a good wife, you'll become happy; if you get a bad one, you'll become a great thinker (philosopher).”
Many people rush into marriage for many reasons. But when their marriage is on the rock, they also rush in deciding to get a bill of divorce or separation. They forget that marriage is a vocation.
Scripture:
An angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit; she will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins." When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took his wife (Matthew 1:18-24)
Study:
My dear fellow believers, on this 3rd day of Simbang Gabi, it is a good day to talk about marriage. In the said Gospel, St. Joseph shows to us that one should not go into marriage unless he or she discerns pretty sure that it is his or her vocation. St. Joseph knew that Jesus was not his biological son. He knew since the beginning that the child Mary was carrying in her womb was the son of God. This is why he wanted to divorce Mary! He felt he was not worthy to be called the foster father of Jesus. But God’s decision was revealed by an angel in a dream saying –“Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home.” Thus, we may say marriages are made in heaven as implied in this experience of Joseph. So rising from his sleep, St. Joseph obeyed what the angel of the Lord commanded him. He took Mary as his wife. As St. Joseph embraced his vocation as a married man, he began to manifest his responsibility as the husband of Mary and the father of Jesus in the Nativity Scene, the Flight to Egypt, and the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple.
Nowadays, there are only few lovers who are responsible like St. Joseph and the Blessed Mary. There are many cases of annulment and divorce made by one spouse against the other. They accused their partners to be psychologically incapacitated, immature, etc. They never thought that their separation affect not only them but their children as well who just forced themselves to accept the decision of their parents. They never thought when they entered into marriage whether it is their vocation or not. They just thought that being in love is enough to establish a lasting marriage. Today we are all being reminded that aside from the couple’s love for each other, marriage is a grace from God. Entering into marriage is more than donating a spermatozoon or the meeting of tiny cells; it is a responsibility bestowed by God to love one another until death as husband and wife.
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